I saw an aircraft, Attempted to track it but it did not show up on the map?

[Marauder]

it is nighttime. I see out the window a fairly large aircraft outline from my window from judgement of the two white wing strobes as they were really far apart.
I went on the map to see what type of aircraft it was as it was VERY close to the ground but making no sounds I could hear. I am not trying to make a tin hat case out of this it aint the green men lol, I am just curious why a plane I saw did not pop up on the map. The map was not lagging, there were no flights within a 20 mile radius and nothing remotely close to the path of NE it was headed.

[Oblivian]

A few things in play can cause this.

https://www.flightradar24.com/faq

I own an aircraft but I cannot see it on Flightradar24. What can I do to have it displayed on Flightradar24?

There are a few reasons why your aircraft may not be shown. First, the aircraft may not be fitted with an ADS-B transponder, meaning it is not compatible with our receiver network. Second, if the aircraft is fitted with a Mode S transponder and not visible, it may be flying in areas with little or no MLAT coverage. Third, the aircraft might be flying outside of our network in areas where we have little or no ADS-B coverage. Fourth, the aircraft may be blocked in our system by the owner or operator

And https://www.flightradar24.com/how-it-works

Blocking
For security and privacy reasons information about some aircraft is limited or blocked. This includes most military aircraft and certain high profile aircraft, like Air Force One.

And MLAT, if it is MODE-S only and below 3000ft it may be out of range.

[Marauder]

A few things in play can cause this.

https://www.flightradar24.com/faq

[h=3][/B]

And https://www.flightradar24.com/how-it-works



And MLAT, if it is MODE-S only and below 3000ft it may be out of range.

Aww, sweet air force one!! Haha
I understand now, however, thank you!

[Oblivian]

A cheap USB TV stick is a good investment for seeing traffic close to you that is not blocked...

[Guest]

it is nighttime. I see out the window a fairly large aircraft outline from my window from judgement of the two white wing strobes as they were really far apart.
I went on the map to see what type of aircraft it was as it was VERY close to the ground but making no sounds I could hear. I am not trying to make a tin hat case out of this it aint the green men lol, I am just curious why a plane I saw did not pop up on the map. The map was not lagging, there were no flights within a 20 mile radius and nothing remotely close to the path of NE it was headed.

Hi! Thanks for reaching out! In most often cases, it is due to the ADS-B transponder, it is either not equipped with it (the aircraft in the matter) or there is a technical issue within it.
It is also possible we do not have it in our database and for that reason it cannot be displayed on our platforms.

Apologies for disappointments anyhow, we do work on improvements and coverage expanding.